TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Sanford Taylor, Information Technology Director
George Gabriel, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Ordinances to Reauthorize Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Programming Support Fees Pursuant to the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA) (Information Technology Director Taylor).
a) ADOPT URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 18-0003-U
b) INTRODUCE ORDINANCE NO. 18-0004
Line
_________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council adopt Urgency Ordinance No. 18-0003-U and introduce Ordinance No. 18-0004 reauthorizing Public, Educational, And Governmental (PEG) programming support fees pursuant to the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA).
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The City receives significant annual PEG fees from cable franchises. Adopting both ordinances ensures that the City continues to receive fees from Charter Communications to support broadcast services on the City's Local Access Channel titled "MBTV." In the past three years, the City has received $180,136 in PEG fees from cable franchises. If the City does not reauthorize the PEG fees by adopting Ordinance No 18-0003-U and No. 18-0004 Charter Communications will not be required to remit fees to the City.
BACKGROUND:
Cable television Local Access Channels are mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Local Access Channels include Public, Education and Government (PEG) channels. Pursuant to Section 611 of the Communications Act, local franchising authorities (such as the City) may require cable operators to set aside channels for PEG use with the following definitions:
* Public access channels are available for use by the general public. They are usually administered either by the cable operator or by a third party designated by the franchising authority.
* Educational access channels ar...
Click here for full text